Kashgar–Hotan railway

The Kashgar–Hotan railway or Kahe railway (Chinese: 喀什至和田铁路; pinyin: Kāshí zhì Hétián Tiělù, abbreviated Chinese: 喀和铁路; pinyin: Kā-Hé Tiělù), is a single-track, non-electrified, railway in Xinjiang, China between Kashgar and Hotan. The railway is 488.27 km (303.40 mi) in length and runs along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, connecting all major cities and towns of the Southwestern Tarim Basin, including Shule, Akto, Yengisar, Yarkant (Shache), Poskam (Zepu), Karghilik (Yecheng), Pishan (Guma) and Karakax (Moyu).^[1] The line extends the Southern Xinjiang Railway south from Kashgar.^[1] Construction began in December 2008.^[1] The line opened to freight traffic on December 30, 2010.^[1] Passenger service began on June 28, 2011.^[2] Beyond Hotan, it continues as the Hotan–Ruoqiang railway.

LocaleXinjiang, China

Termini

• Kashgar
• Hotan

Continues fromSouthern Xinjiang railway

Continues asHotan–Ruoqiang railway

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Kashgar–Hotan railway
Overview
Locale	Xinjiang, China
Termini	Kashgar Hotan
Continues from	Southern Xinjiang railway
Continues as	Hotan–Ruoqiang railway
History
Opened	2010 (cargo) 2011 (passenger)
Route map

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It forms the Taklamakan Desert railway loop, together with sections of the Hotan–Ruoqiang railway, Southern Xinjiang railway, and Golmud–Korla railway.^[3] The proposed Khunjerab Railway, a part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, would one day link to the Kashgar–Hotan railway, allowing Islamabad, Pakistan to directly connect to Hotan and the Chinese railway network.